Page 12 of Desserts for Stressed People

Yes. Fresh as of yesterday.

Shane:

Then I should tell you that I get a notification every time you open the picture.

“Fuck!” I shriek, passing a hand over my face. Shame heats my cheeks, making my ears pulsate like they’ll fall off.

But please, don’t let that stop you. Fifth time’s a charm.

“Kill me!” I yelp again, staring at my phone from behind my fingers. I’ll never answer again. Seriously, I’m done. This is so pathetic. I want to erase this whole thing from my mind and go to sleep.

But a minute passes, and he texts again.

Oh, come on. If I knew you’d ghost me, I wouldn’t have said anything. Don’t I get any credit for being honest?

“No. No, you absolutely do not. You mortified me!” I half scream, half laugh at the phone. When a familiar music plays, I glance at the TV, drawing a deep breath. The movie has started, and I don’t want to watch it alone. Nor can I go to sleep, with my heart throbbing the way it is. Fuck shame. I’ll never meet this guy, anyway.

Nevaeh:

I was trying to understand if you went to Yale. #BetterShamelessThanShaneless

I guess humor is all I have left.

Shane:

They wish. Yale sucks. But #NevaehrSayNevaehr

So? Is your popcorn ready?

I waltz through the living room and into the kitchen. There’s no popcorn left, but I have something better: a box of brownie bites I bought at the supermarket a few days back.

For a couple of seconds, I stare at it. I know I shouldn’t, but Emma’s words come back to me, and the exhilaration I feel at talking to Shane tempts me too much. I snap a picture of the box and send it to him.

Nevaeh:

I am craving brownies after all.

Shane:

No, no, no. Don’t do this to me. You can’t eat that.

Nevaeh:

Why can’t I?

Shane:

Boxed pastries?! Dessert is a whim. If you indulge, you have to do it properly.

I laugh, fitting a whole brownie bite into my mouth. It seems good enough to me as I chew and the chocolate swirls on my tongue, but I love that he’s so intense about dessert. What does it say about him? I doubt that an Ivy League student who wears as many suits as he does is a baker, but who knows?

Nevaeh:

They’re not that bad. They’re filled with little chocolate chips. #ReclaimingFreedom #HatersGonnaHate

Shane:

Ugh. I’ll make you some real brownies, and you’ll never get close to that stuff ever again.#ThereAreNoChocolateChips #InBrownies

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